Edulis in Isle of Wight

We had a super Sunday lunch here after strolling through the botanical gardens. the chef Michael Jackson (yes, really!) cooked a delicious roast beef for my husband & did a special sea bass for me. Very attentive service from friendly staff & really good wine by the glass in pleasant surroundings, with the sun streaming into the restaurant.

We had both Coffee and lunch here when we visited the gardens, We both had gammon, a good meal, tastefully served by efficient staff, we could eat surrounded by the lovely gardens.

Such a lovely place. Very pleasant and helpful service, clean and comfortable. A very good choice from which to choose.

We booked Edulis for dinner on Friday evening. We were really looking forward to having a meal in the beautiful botanical gardens - at weekends there is meant to be live music as well. Sadly, this did not turn out as expected. No live music ( not the fault of Edulis - apparently the musician didn't turn up). The menu is very limited - only 2 starters and 4 main courses to choose from. No dessert menu. The very young service team were keen and enthusiastic but spent most of their time papering over the cracks. A warm bottle of white wine was presented to us and only fixed (using literally every once cube in the building) upon this being pointed out (why was the white wine not chilled?) but the generally the food was not good at all. Main courses was just a choice of 4 curries. The rice was overcooked and watery and more to the point just American easy cook rice (apparently not easy at all - the stuff was diabolical) Three of the four dishes the flavours were very bland. The chicken curry was clearly made using a well known brand of curry paste and a tin of tomatoes. We did mention this to the manager who was very good and took on board our comments and to be fair was very understanding about the whole situation. This could be such an amazing venue for an evening meal. Shame that the meal did not include locally grown produce. I hope that the management take on board our feedback and work towards making this the go to dinner venue in Ventnor at the weekend. This place could be fantastic if it tried.

The Edulis restaurant had a very poor selection - a small selection of baguettes and one, presumably hot, dish of cassoulet. We didn't want sandwich type food, we could make that in our accomodation, so we trekked back to the cafe. But, unfortunately that was just as bad, a different selection of fillings, but still only baguettes - and also cake. Since, if we had to have sandwiches, we preferred the ham listed in Edulis restaurant and there was a queue in the cafe, we returned to the restaurant. There were four other customers seated outside and very few inside, so why did it take 18 minutes for our food to be ready? I was very uncomfortable ordering here. Not one of the staff was wearing a mask - I know that this is no longer abainst the law, but it is the ONLY place that we have been to where staff are not taking their role seriously enough. After ordering our food, we realised that whoever made our sandwishes would almost certainly therefore not be wearing a mask. A risk we wished we had not taken since there was no need to heat the food.

Had a pleasant lunch in a lovely location. Not a huge choice, but well prepared and friendly service.

Still waiting: we sat down to eat almost one hour ago. Lunch time this is not a restaurant- it’s a cafe - but not a very good one!

Nice selection of lunch items food was delicious what more can I say. Would definitely go back and try evening menu once able.

Sadly a very disappointing experience. Taking COVID into account tbe service was very slow and poor. There was a considerable delay before the maitre d asked us if we would like to order a drink. An even lengthier wait ensued before we could place our order. We opted for Thai beef style noodles for our main course which arrived on stone cold plates and resembled nothing Thai like in the slightest. Large tough cubes of beef served in a stroganoff type sauce which had the tiniest hint of "spice" on a bed of overcooked noodles, overdone baby carrots and a serving of indifferent overcooked marrow? The meal was tepid and rapidly went cold because of the plates! A costly £58 for 2 indifferent starters plus 2 mains. I did not eat my mains and I was offered "a drink" (which I declined) by way of an apology. An overrated "restaurant" which needs a good shake up to be worth a second visit which is not envisaged at this time.

We enjoyed good coffee on arrival and later had an excellent “house special” open sandwich that included local Brie, pancetta and tomatoes. Doing well despite Covid.

Went here on Sunday 16th Feb for an afternoon tea 70th birthday celebration. (Private function). The tables were beautifully decorated ready for our arrival. We were greeted by the head chef and his staff, and directed to our tables. We had tea and coffee while the sandwiches and other bits were laid out on separate tables. There were a selection of sandwiches, crisps, salad, tomatoes and other bits to start, along with continuous tea and coffee. Then we had a short break of about ten minutes whilst the left overs and tables were cleared away ready for round two (the cakes). The cakes were laid out, there were large sultana scones, plain scones, lemon drizzle cake, chocolate brownies, cream and jam, small macaroons and sponge cakes. The cakes were so light and fluffy, The staff were so attentive, nothing was too much trouble and overseen by the head chef that made pretty well everything. This was some of the best food that I have eaten in a long time. My family would like to compliment the head chef and his staff for their efforts in making the celebration so wonderful.

We visited the gardens yesterday and decided to have a much needed lunch at the Edulis restaurant. The restaurant itself is pleasantly presented and in a lovely setting. However after sitting down we noticed the crockery and glasses were marked/dirty and perhaps we should have taken this as a hint of what was to come. Three of us ordered the soup and the other a sandwich which came with wedges. After ordering, paying and sitting down, a good 5 mins or so later we were subsequently told that actually there was no soup available and they shouldn’t have processed our order. We ordered sandwiches instead and weren’t charged for the small extra cost. Our sandwiches arrived minus the advertised wedges. The waiter said nothing and was about to walk away when we queried the absence of the wedges. He responded that there were none available and they had been substituted with crisps. A few measly crisps and a rather bland cheese and tomato sandwich I have to say. We vowed not to return, but just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse a large tray of potatoes was brought in from the kitchen and one of the servers proceeded to start chopping them up in front of us - presumably to make wedges!! The toilets were smelly and not very pleasant and we noticed the glazing in the lobby areas was absolutely filthy. A very disappointing experience that we will not be repeating. Such a shame as this could be a lovely restaurant if someone actually bothered to care and respect their customers. Instead it appears to be a complete shambles where custom is taken for granted as they effectively have a captive audience. Next time we’ll be taking our own sandwiches and finding a nice place to sit in the gardens. I’m local so will be spreading the word. Simply not good enough!!!

Having had such a wonderful visit to the Botanical Gardens we had high hopes for this restaurant. It was light and airy with nice decor and we were looking forward to eating there. The first thing we noticed when we sat down were the dirty glasses and cutlery on the table so this did not bode well. There were four of us in our party and three of us ordered the soup which was on the specials board. However, after taking our payment and a short while later we were told that there was no soup. So we ordered sandwiches which the menu stated included a side of potato wedges and a salad but when the sandwiches arrived there were no wedges, just a handful of potato crisps. When we asked the server what happened to the wedges, he didn’t even know that the sandwiches came with wedges and disappeared off to ask. When he returned he said ‘we’ve run out of wedges’ The whole experience was very disappointing. Why didn’t the serving staff know that both the soup and the wedges were off the menu? Why was there no apology when a few stale crisps were served instead of the promised wedges? The kitchen needs to communicate better with the waiting staff and be better prepared for customers so that they don’t run out of food two hours before they close!

My friend and I were disappointed with this venue. At just after 1.30, they had run out of bread (the gardens were not that busy) so no sandwiches were available, which was all we wanted. There were just two mains and both contained chilli which I can't eat. My friend had the spiced duck which was apparently quite nice though perhaps not much duck in the sauce (the duck was diced). I had chocolate fudge cake but though the chocolate flavour was good, it was on the dry side and the frosting was more like icing than fudge or buttercream. It is a pleasant room to sit in though, nicely decorated, well laid-out and airy with plenty of room between the tables. Service slow - you queue to order and then we had quite a wait for the duck.

It was very quiet when we visited, nice decor with great views to the garden. Although called a restaurant, you have to order at the counter - a very pleasant gentleman seemed to be the only one serving but we didn't wait too long. The beef curry was excellent and a huge portion - the bruschetta with cheddar and Island tomatoes (plus salad and veg crisps) was equally good. Not cheap but a lovely lunch.

A group of locals who meet regularly decided to visit Edulis for lunch. Two of us had previously enjoyed a lunch there and recommended,not least because three of our group are vegan.I have always loved the venue of the Botanic gardens and am a “ friend” of the garden. There is an upstairs cafe with extended balcony and a downstairs restaurant with outside and inside seating. The setting by the large fish pond is very attractive with wooden seating . Inside the light and airy restaurant has varied seating arrangements, some raised.Service was speedy and helpful. Unfortunately I had cause to complain but my complaint was dealt with in a professional manner .Well done to the waiting staff!The remaining five members of our group thoroughly enjoyed their interesting ,and in some cases ,unusual choices of meal.There was vegan offerings on the menu.We had a bottle of house wine which was reasonably priced and highly acceptable .Water is available on the side of the counter for customers to serve themselves which is an excellent idea. This day was scorching hot with temperatures in the 80’s it would have been an even better idea if the water could have been cold.I was left feeling that I would like to return if only to prove to myself that my complaint was a “ blip”.Parking is in the large car park and there is free entry if using only the restaurant.

On a very hot day in the gardens the lunch we had here was the highlight of our visit. The restaurant's décor is modern and tasteful, the food was really interesting with lots of choice for vegetarians and the staff were friendly and helpful. It was good to see that a lot of the food prep. was done front of house. Regretfully we were not on the island long enough to try one of the taster menus but look forward to enjoying on further visits. Edulis is a complete delight.

We booked a Mexican taster evening it wasn’t easy to book as there was little information. However we managed to book diner for 2The setting is lovely in the botanical gardens in Ventnor. Modern decor in the restaurant .Wonderful food presented beautifully . chef explained the menu as the 4 course’s came he even prepared a vegetarian version for two people at our table. A very nice experience all round They have plans to do other taster evenings. You can find the schedule on the website. I plan go to more of them.

By chance we saw a flyer for last week's plant-based (vegan) tasting menu. The booking included an opportunity to view the garden in the evening (with a glass of Prosecco too). The Director introduced the evening in a way which helpfully clarified his mission for the garden and its relationship with the food we were about to eat. Useful to hear this in the light of some adverse comments elsewhere about the garden. The chef introduced each course informatively and entertainingly. I was initially apprehensive about 'tasting menus' as these are too often expensive, minimalist and pretentious. Each of the five courses was really quite substantial, delicious and well explained; each one containing something interesting and different from the garden. Staff were all helpful, efficient and welcoming. A very satisfying evening that was also good value for money. Looking forward to coming again when next in the area. Thanks

Not a huge menu but prepped with care for each order. Very helpful and friendly staff and reasonably priced.

I would encourage anyone to go to The Edulis for lunch. We couldn’t believe how amazing the food was. Beautifully presented, reasonably priced and very very tasty. Well done Edulis!

Extremely fast service and excellent locally produced food. Literally local!! I had the Ventnor Botanic Garden Tomato and Vegetable soup with two excellent home baked rectangular ciabatta bread Starter . All ingredients for soup produced metres away from kitchen and freshness shows. Well recommended as was the main course of Soy and Barley Vegetarian Bolognaise, again with tasty ciabetta bread. Brad Roe is an excellent chef and the restaurant lady was extremely good in sorting out order swiftly and dealing with busy lunch time at counter ordering system

A while ago I mentioned to one of my Toronto-based colleagues that I wanted to have dinner at Alo – he told me that Alo was great, but he and his family preferred Edulis. So Edulis it was!

A short but interesting menu served hot and fresh by a lovely waitress. Add nice views of the garden and warm sunshine, a lovely place for lunch.

Last minute decision to try a roast at Edulis, all other establishments in Ventnor being jammed in advance, as they always are on a Sunday. Told it was being served in the café rather than the restaurant, we ordered 2 drinks & waited. Both our Coke & (Botanic Gardens) larger tasted a bit odd so we took the unusual step of checking sell by dates. They were both out of date. ‘Chef’ now appears with some rather tatty looking recycled ice cream tubs. As I approach the bar I watch as he fishes around in the boxes for sundry bits of ghastly looking meat & fat which he carves, covers in gravy & puts in what I assume to be a microwave under the bar.

My husband noticed that the restaurant were doing the occasional vegan night and, as our son is vegan (he lives on the mainland and wasn’t with us), we thought we’d give it a go. The premise: a six-course fine dining experience, using edible produce grown in the botanical gardens.

This is the 2nd time I've reviewed this restaurant - the last time in February of this year. Firstly, when I returned to Edulis this Summer I was pleased to see that the Head Chef, Brad, from last year had returned. So I thought I'd give it another chance for lunch. On the day we attended, there was a wedding in the main resturant but we were able to order food upstairs in the cafe. However, the standard of service was really poor. I'd like to stress though that this was clearly due to a lack of adequate training of the staff, rather than a lack of willingness on their part. Firstly, there was a very long queue and not enough staff to cope - given that I am assuming they knew the wedding was taking place it should not have been a surprise that the cafe was busier than normal! The staff serving did not know what the daily specials were when asked. We ordered a bottle of Chardonnay. After some time, they eventually brought us a bottle of Gewürztraminer. When I pointed out to them that this was no Chardonnay the waitress just said "yeah I know but this was what I was given" - no apologies, or explanation as to whether the Chardonnay was out of stock. The wine was also not chilled sufficiently. When the lunch came it was very nice. As I said in my last review, I visit the IOW about 4 times a year and eat out in lots of its pubs and restaurants. I always find that the service in other places is very good. So I really do think the problem with Edulis is that the staff are not trained properly in hospitality skills. They tend to be friendly and willing, but just unaware of basic hospitality skills such as knowing what specials are, and what to do if something is not available. This is not common on the rest of the Island where service tends to be excellent. So I can only conclude that it is a training and management issue. This is a real shame because the quality of the food under the Head Chef is very good and the location is stunning, so this really could be an exceptional restaurant.

We had a fantastic lunch in the wonderful restaurant at Ventnor Botanic Gardens. The food was great, well prepared, healthy, and exceptionally well presented. We particularly liked the fact that our food was prepared in a spotlessly clean open environment. The perfect end to a wonderful tour of the very interesting gardens.

Spending the day at the Botanic Gardens, we realised there are two eating places there, and Edulis at the bottom of the slope was great. Apparently using home-grown mushrooms, the risotto and soup dishes were just right for us.

After a very disappointing snack at the Plantation cafe, we were delighted with the freshness and tastiness of our lunchtime sandwiches which came with a delicious salad. We were warned of a 20 minute wait for food but it came when expected and served outside where we enjoyed it in a lovely setting.

We ordered cheese and tomato sandwich, it came with a fresh salad and we couldn't fault the food, service or setting.

We had a terrible experience here - the chef is incapable of making even a cheese and tomato sandwich. Bread was stale and the tomato was missing! They refused to take the order for half of our group because there were too many orders pending - mismanagement so bad it is comical. I’d rather get food from a petrol station shop than come back here.

I've been visiting the IOW about 4 times a year for the past 5 years. Edulis is always on my itinerary. The quality of the food has always been very high and the service friendly, if sometimes a little slow during busier periods. In particular, during the Summer of 2017 I was lucky enough to attend 2 of their evening special themed nights, at which the tasting menus provided were on a par with some of the best London restaurants at a fraction of the price. The then new chef , Brad, was really enthusiastic and gave interesting and charming introductions to the courses. I went back there this week (Feb 2018) and was really disappointed to find that, under new management, the chef had left, the menu had changed and the food was distinctly average. Service was still friendly but slow and unprofessional and - whereas in the past the high quality of the food would have more than made up for this - now the whole experience was just disappointing. Luckily there are many excellent eateries on the Island so I won't be disappointed on my next visit - but unfortunately won't be eating at Edulis again..... very disappointing.....

Positives - fresh food of good quality. Bright and modern cafe.

Whilst enjoying the botanic garden we decided to have a snack lunch in the Edulis - a very good decision. My companion, who is inordinately fond of a crab sandwich, indulged herself and said it was possibly the best ever. Very simple - just lots of crab meat and wholemeal bread, no mayo or other bits. I enjoyed the loW brie baguette which was enormous and very tasty - a lovely creamy local 'brie' with a few salad bits. All this excellence and at very reasonable cost - well worth a visit, as are the gardens.

We went to Edulis for my mother's 60th birthday, she is wheelchair bound, we were not told when booking the lift was out of order so had to push her down steep hills around the very unkempt gardens to get there. On arrival I said we had booked a table the waitress said she would ask the chef but continued to serve 3 other people before even moving from her post, we as a party of 6 were left stood there like lemons with my mother in tears because of the stress of getting there. We eventually helped ourselves to a table. The staff did not help when we were struggling to manoeuvre the wheelchair through the tables. There was very little choice on the menu other than sanwiches and salads, we wanted a hot meal. The food when it arrived was bland. My mother ordered a roasted vegetable couscous salad, the vegetables were raw and inedible. There was no butter sent with the soup and bread. We asked for a chrese sandwich and were given a baguette. I complained at the end of the meal and asked for a refund for the inedible salad which I was given. The duty manager aroached me as we were about to leave and asked for details of what went wrong which I gave in detail and was told he would contact me in the next few days to put things right for us after such a disappointing experience, it is now 2 weeks later and I haven't heard back at all. Very disappointed and angry that what should have been a special celebration was ruined by rude staff, awful food and limited access for disabled guest.

My husband and I moved to the Isle of Wight 3 months ago (loving it here!) and one of the first things that we did was to become members of the Ventnor Botanical Gardens, which is just a 15 minute drive away from where we...

We stopped for lunch when visiting the gardens and were genuininely amazed by the quality of the food. It was fresh and interesting using local ingredients and at about £10 a portion was far better quality than you get in many pubs and restaurants. We...

We went to the restaurant as we had been the day before to the gardens and wanted to return to try the food. We both had the Crab Linguine which was delightful and a really good portion of hot fully flavoured crab garnished with mushrooms...

Preciosa zona de estar al aire libre con una piscina enorme y majestuosa echiums. Menú decente y una selección de bebidas absolutamente excepcional suave. Recomendado.

Esperamos más de una hora para 1 sandwich de cangrejo, 2 sandwiches de mermelada y un plowman's. No hay comunicación de por qué ninguna oferta de dinero e ir a otro sitio, ni disculpa hasta que llego la culpabilización como "uno de esos días". Todo...

Su ubicación en el jardín, requiere un servicio rápido a precios asequibles. No ofrece esto. La calidad de la comida y la cantidad es muy buena, pero el costo y tiempo necesario para ambos serveare demasiado alto

Paseando entre los extensos jardines botánicos en Ventnor trabaja hasta el apetito, así que es muy satisfactorio poder comer justo en el medio de ellos, en el restaurante edulis bastante nuevo.

El menú aquí era lo suficientemente buena y variada para satisfacer a un grupo de todas las edades. Todo era muy reciente; una gran calidad y buen tamaño de las porciones. Platos limpios y los suspiros de satisfacción general.

On Saturday 30 April 2016 I visited the Gardens with my cousin (resident on the Island), her two sons and other cousins who I traveled down from London with. Because the weather was so pleasant we decided to visit the gardens. During our meanderings around the garden we came across Edulis, like the look of the menu and so decided to have lunch. Most of our party had the open sandwiches which were hugely enjoyed - I decided to have the Seafood Linguine - WOW!! I was so impressed - it was delicious and I can truthfully say, better than any I have tried in London! The staff were wonderful, friendly, helpful and attentive. The whole experience was just a pleasure and I cannot recommend them enough. Looking forward to going back again - compliments to all!!!

I don't blame the hard working hard pressed staff - of which there seemed only to be one actively working for this lunch time visit. The board special was Mediterranean taglitelle. This turned out to be really quite awful - an opinion from one of our group who never complains about the food on eating out! It was overcooked, far too salty and no parmesan cheese. For about £8 a disgrace. One of us had the cheddar cheese with Isle of Wight tomatoes on white baguette bread. This was actually OK. The service was slow and lines of waiting punters occurred. All due to one lady working on the till, making the food, taking orders and cleaning away. The second lady seemed to just stand and smile?! The water dispenser was empty and required refilling on prompting. Again, it is important to emphasise that the girl working was clearly up against it!

A perfect setting for a delicious and locally sourced Sunday lunch - looking across the Gardens with live music accompanying a most delightful lunch - fantastic service - followed by a walk in the dramatic and delightful gardens - cannot be improved upon - a unique and very pleasurable experience

We had a beautiful lunch on a Saturday afternoon whilst visiting the botanical gardens. My partner and I both had the ploughman's lunches (mine was the ham and she had the cheese). Both were fantastic and all locally sourced food. Who would have known that the Isle of Wight made such fantastic food! Definitely recommend this place!

Stopped for lunch, good food and the fresh salad really lovely. A hidden gem in Ventnor, worth a visit.

Edulis advertises its fresh local produce and it certainly didn't disappoint; gorgeous heritage tomatoes grown in the garden and fresh salad leaves made my ploughmans extra special, served alongside local Isle of Wight speciality cheeses. Friends had seafood linguine, equally fresh and tasty. Only complaint was when we went back for a home grown beer, they'd sold out, and none can brewed until the hops gathered in.

We hadn't planned to eat at the Botanic Garden's restaurant, but the time was right so we gave it a try. We were all delighted with our choice: I had the veggie ploughman's, and it was fabulous. Local ingredients, most particularly the island's famous tomatoes, were much in evidence on the menu. Lovely! Decor not overwhelming, but the food more than makes up for the lack of atmosphere.

Visited this restaurant with three elderly relatives and was very pleased with the food and the service.There was going be a slight delay in dealing with our order and we were informed of this as soon as we were seated. The staff were helpful and polite. We did not feel hurried in any way.The food was excellent and portions generous.A very pleasant experience.

When we ordered we were warned that there would be at least a 15 minute delay as there was a back-up of orders but it took a while longer that that to be served. We were not in a hurry so had the meal been up to expectations, we'd not have minded. Regrettably it wasn't. We both ordered the same, Ventnor Bay Cod, King Prawn and Clam Linguine, which was subtitled on the menu with IOW garlic and Ventnor Botanic Garden chilli. We both agreed on eating the meal that both the garlic and the chilli were missing, there being not a trace of chilli heat and no taste whatsoever of garlic. We were also hoping for more than one King Prawn each as well but that's all that we received. one per meal, and so the title in that respect was accurate. We did remark when paying that there was no evidence of chilli in the meal and were told that the day before someone had complained that this meal was too chilli hot so the chef must have erred too far in the other direction. If any chilli at all had been used, that was indeed an understatement. A family that had ordered before us had just as long a wait for their sandwiches and had to point out that their order was not correctly fulfilled so perhaps we were simply unfortunate to arrive when the staff were overstretched and mistakes were unfortunately made in consequence.

We entered the light, bright space that is Edulis, in the Botanical Gardens, and picked a table looking over the gardens. We both had the best crab and warm bread sandwich we have eaten on the Island - very importantly unsullied by mayonnaise so the flavour of the crab emerged. Delicious organic apple juice, slightly surprisingly not sourced from the Island, and fresh coffee. Why patronise the cafes in nearby Steephill Cove when you can dine so well here?

Very limited menu all on healthy side but serve alcohol ,sticky tables and served milk for tea in a glass 'food is okay but pricey WiFi in restaurant well I would say cafe

we went specially to find this place but we're told it had closed for the season but the same salads were served upstairs. We had their fresh home grown salad with local cheese and a bottle of local beer. It was fabulous! 3types of tomato. 4 types of cheese. Lots of different baby salad leaves. Juicy fig. Apple. Fresh crusty bread. Chutney. Honestly it was to die for. All washed down with local ale. We were in heaven. If you don't have a huge appetite maybe 1 between you would be enough. I realise that some would say that it's not cooking and that's right, but it was enticingly presented and beautifully fresh.

Cycled over form Shanklin to try this restaurant again (and to take a look at the landslip a mile further on!).Visited about a year ago (see my other review) and loved it, were no disappointed this time either. Simple well prepared food using local ingredients. Short menu but not so short as picky hubby could not find something to eat!Teamed a salad with a local beer and sat in the sun enjoying the Indian Summer for well over an hour (food was not slow to arrive, it was just too nice to leave and not so busy that we felt we had to).

On a visit to the Botanic Gardens at Ventnor today we had lunch at the Edulis Restaurant inside the gardens.Nothing tricksy here with the menu, esp for lunch, but good fresh ingredients and lots of them in their few simple lunch dishes. The restaurant uses fresh herbs and salad vegetables in their quite rustic dishes (ploughmans, shellfish, smoked salmon dishes, soups, etc...)

Sad to be writing this, but people need to know... This was one of our favourite places to eat (and I've previously reviewed it under the Botanic Gardens), but it has all gone horribly wrong in 2014. We've visited twice this year. Once, it was closed when it was advertised as open. On the other occasion, it was just very poor. The menu is not what it was. Everything seems geared towards being incredibly easy to serve (soup or salad) - though this doesn't seem to actually help service. The inventive dishes and seasonal salads and hot meals were not available. Nor was the great selection of cakes (these are ow upstairs in the cafe). Not even sandwiches. The children's sausages and mash was like school dinners - not good enough for £6. A 35 minute wait despite there only being about 10 other diners coupled with paying over £30 for three small salads, a kids meal and some strawberries capped a miserable experience. I really hope they get back to the sort of form of 2013 when this was an excellent place to eat.

WE booked here for a friends 60th birthday treat - the menu is changed daily and all the ingredients are local with the salads & herbs grown on site -star of the show is chef Martyn Cutler. There are not many places on the Island where one can enjoy the type of grub Marty served up that evening. I had linguine with king prawns & lots of flavour with fresh chilli and we also took one of the steak dishes which was presented with aubergine - the starters were excellent and we also had Ives and local dipping oil.

I went here for a birthday party and was thoroughly impressed with what they had to offer. The chef was particularly entertaining, we were not told what was on the menu, and before each course he would stand up and tell us a bit of gastronomic background on the dishes. The element of surprise definitely added a mood of anticipation leading up to each course - though this wouldn't have been achieved had the first course not been so exquisite. The first course involved raw garden picked vegetables drizzled with vinegar. This was followed by an intricate pasta dish with a delightful and creamy mushroom sauce. For the main, we enjoyed then a plate of tender chilled duck, with accompanying raspberries, Isle of Wight blue cheese and a flavourful piece of focaccia bread. Finally for desert we had a rich carrot cake enthused with spiced orange. Between each course the guests got up and danced to a charming local blues band. They may have been a bit experience on their side to say the least, but they still knew how to work a crowd! All in all it was excellently presented, fresh food which cleverly complemented the season all enjoyed in a restaurant which lies in the middle of one of the most beautiful spots on the Isle. I will definitely be coming back, maybe even to host my own birthday!

Visited the botanic gardens whilst on holiday and discovered this new addition. At first we thought the food offering was a little pricey for a "day out" but wow were we wrong. The menu changes every day depending on what is available to pick from the garden itself. We decided to try out the sandwiches and were not disappointed. Huge doorsteps of bread baked that morning in the kitchen, filled with local produced ingredients and accompanied by a salad of leaves and herbs grown on site, full of flavour and freshness and picked within the previous half hour. Delicious, Wonderful cakes and refreshing fair trade tea to accompany. Hot dishes looked equally wonderful. The young staff were attentive, knowledgable about the food and encouraging. The location is perfect with a courtyard garden to view (or sit out in on a warm day), and the decor is cool, relaxed and simple.We all felt the experience to be a good one, and the food excellent value for the amount and superb quality.The gardens are wonderful anyway, but this was the icing on the cake.Some evening opening, and Jazz evenings are being arranged.They recommend booking as they are likely to be very busy in peak season.

I'd read the advert for this on the way over on the ferry. I also saw a review of it in a listing of restaurants by area - the kind that is advertorial promotion. However it looked nice and seemed to serve the kind of 'modern British' and mediterranean food we like so we decided to try it on our visit to the Botanical Gardens where it's situated.After a walk of around 3 miles in windy but warm weather we were looking forward to a nice meal and it did not disappoint. Salad and charcuterie served on 'planks' in such an airy room overlooking the fountains. There is outdoor seating but it was just too windy for us.Good wine and also a great roast for their coffee added up to the answer to our needs and got us ready for the next part of the day without weighing us down.The only reason it's a very good rather than an excellent score was that the young counter staff were a bit vague and uncertain but it all looked new so maybe they were new to the outlet too.